D&D 5E Does the Beholder's anti-magic field move with it?

orangefruitbat · Jun 24, 2019

The PCs will likely be battling a beholder this week, and I want to understand how its anti-magic cone works. The MM states that "at the start of each of its turns, the beholder decides which way the cone faces and whether the cone is active. The area works against the beholder's own eye rays". I just find it kind of wierd that this happens at the start of the beholder's turn.

Say the beholder decides to activate its cone, pointing due south. That part is clear. But what happens when it moves or rotates Does that change the location or direction of the cone? Or do you simply determine where the cone is at the beginning of the round, and then the beholder's later movement is irrelevant?

pogre · Jun 24, 2019

Moves with the Beholder and originates at the big eye.

You may find this helpful too:
http://themonstersknow.com/beholder-tactics/

Paul Farquhar · Jun 24, 2019

The beholder is kind of prohibited from rotating itself if it is using this ability.

Doesn't matter - it can see and float in any direction.

orangefruitbat · Jun 24, 2019

Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but in this case the beholder is participating in a battle-royale and will be controlled by a player (PvP style) and not me as an objective DM. So I'm trying to be as RAW as possible.

So basically:
1) rotate the beholder into the direction you want the AM cone to point (assuming you want it on)
2) optionally move, keeping the same facing. The cone will move with the beholder
3) fire your eye rays into the 270 arc not covered by the AM cone.

Is that correct?

One last question - anti-magic field is a concentration spell - so does that mean you could force the beholder from dropping the AM cone by damaging it (at least until the start of its next turn)?

Paul Farquhar said:
The beholder is kind of prohibited from rotating itself if it is using this ability.

Doesn't matter - it can see and float in any direction.

Satyrn · Jun 24, 2019

orangefruitbat said:
Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but in this case the beholder is participating in a battle-royale and will be controlled by a player (PvP style) and not me as an objective DM. So I'm trying to be as RAW as possible.

So basically:
1) rotate the beholder into the direction you want the AM cone to point (assuming you want it on)
2) optionally move, keeping the same facing. The cone will move with the beholder
3) fire your eye rays into the 270 arc not covered by the AM cone.

Is that correct?

One last question - anti-magic field is a concentration spell - so does that mean you could force the beholder from dropping the AM cone by damaging it (at least until the start of its next turn)?

Yeah, that's how I'd handle it.

I don't think the AM cone was meant to be disrupted, though, since it's not actually casting the spell - and I've always thought it was meant to be a natural effect, an always-on inherent trait of the beholder - but I really like that possibility and would try it out for fun.

Shiroiken · Jun 25, 2019

orangefruitbat said:
Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but in this case the beholder is participating in a battle-royale and will be controlled by a player (PvP style) and not me as an objective DM. So I'm trying to be as RAW as possible.

Good plan. The 5E beholder is written as such to keep an unscrupulous DM from making it into an near unstoppable killing machine (as was often common in prior editions).

orangefruitbat said:
One last question - anti-magic field is a concentration spell - so does that mean you could force the beholder from dropping the AM cone by damaging it (at least until the start of its next turn)?

The ability is not a cast spell, so the concentration rules do not apply. It is simply an ability the beholder always has on, unless they choose to close their primary eye.